The book reviewed here is the ‘Textbook of Evolutionary Psychiatry. The Origins of Psychopathology’ by Martin Brune. As the title suggests, Brune in this book is introducing the beginnings of an ambitious framework for reformulating psychiatric illnesses in evolutionary terms. In the introductory chapter, Brune argues that
‘the epistemiological foundations of modern psychiatry (and psychotherapy) are clearly rooted in naturalism‘
Brune discusses some of the important historical developments in psychiatry with figures such as Griesenger, Kahlbaum and Kraeplin and along the way there is the following quote from James Crichton-Browne
‘It seemed not improbable that the cortical centres which are last organised, which are most highly evolved and voluntary, and which are located on the left side of the brain might suffer first in insanity‘
While the term insanity is redundant, a modern parallel might be drawn with Crow’s theory of psychosis which invokes differential gender based neurodevelopmental patterns (and which is reviewed here and here). What I found profoundly interesting here was Brune’s observations of the ICD and DSM manuals
‘These manuals improve the reliability of diagnosis, but at the cost of reducing the complexity of clinical phenomena. Although claiming to be largely ‘atheoretical’ they represent compromises between various ‘schools’ of psychiatry‘
In chapter 1 on the definition of evolution, Brune provides an overview of evolutionary theory explaining natural, group and sexual selection, inclusive fitness theory and reciprocal altruism. He also looks at some of the factors in reproductive success across species (see also Mean Genes for a more detailed exploration of this area – reviewed here) and principles of evolutionary psychology including methods for testing the theories. There is also coverage of genetics and again a look at how the role of genetics in psychopathology can be tested experimentally. In the chapter on brain anatomy, evolution and function, Brune looks at various relevant issues including the Triune brain and allometric growth curves
He also considers ‘mind reading’ as an important adaptive trait. In the chapter on human life history, Brune considers Bowlby’s attachment theory as a useful paradigm for considering issues from an evolutionary perspective. In the 4th chapter, Brune writes about the causes of psychopathology. In this chapter there are some necessary generalisations including protective and risk factors associated with mental illnesses as well as problems or phases associated with different age groupings. There is then a chapter on the psychiatric assessment covering signs and symptoms before Brune concludes
‘computer-based ethological analysis of nonverbal behaviour is of little use in everyday clinical practice, but the ability to recognise non-verbal behavioural elements during interactions can be achieved through training and a standardised scale for rating patients’ non-verbal behaviour is direly needed‘
Brune looks at autism and other pervasive developmental disorders in Chapter 6. Given the heterogeneity of autism, this is a particularly difficult area to draw conclusions from an evolutionary perspective and attachment behaviours and mirron neurons are invoked (although mirror neurons are not without their controversy).
In Chapter 7, he looks at Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and although suggesting this may even be a culture-bound syndrome quite speculatively earlier in the book looks closely at the neurobiology. Perhaps it is too early to make convincing arguments for the role of the DRD4 gene and there is much conjecture that leads to the novelty seeking function of the gene and the adaptive utility in fast changing environments. However it can also be argued that society today is fast changing, unstable and therefore ADHD should be an advantage, so I found this less convincing. In chapter 8, Brune looks at dementia and considers the issue of senesence and the balance between selecting for fertility in early life and health in adulthood. He also looks at some of the features of neuoranatomy – the Entorhinal Cortex, hippocampus and Anterior Cingulate Cortex as well as the APOE4 gene. In chapter 9, he looks at substance misuse and alcohol dependence discussing the Opiate, Dopamine and Oxytocin systems although it will be interesting to see developments in this area (see also this review of an article on social buffering which involves a discussion of the Opiate and Oxytocin systems).
In the chapter on Schizophrenia he considers this to be a heterogenous condition and favours the importance of sexual selection for extremes of traits such as intelligence and language. He makes some interesting comments on Erotomania, linking it with patterns of female fertility. A number of constructs including mental state attribution and insight are discussed. The 11th chapter on affective disorders is interesting and consideration is given to mood disorders relating to submission and dominance within a social hierarchy. The reality is most likely considerably more complex however and if as suggested there is a continuum between mood disorders and psychosis, then there should be some overlap in the evolutionary explanations. There is an interesting discussion of affective disorders and the triune brain although there is considerable speculation (although biologically plausible). Of all the chapters, I thought that the one on anxiety disorders was the most convincing particularly in the discussion of panic disorder, PTSD and OCD and there is already a well established literature in this area.
In a discussion of eating disorders, Brune considers the role of subordinate behaviour, resource allocation and reproductive delay in constructing an evolutionary explanation. The discussion of personality disorders is difficult given the complexity of the personality construct and this is acknowledged. Cluster B personality disorders are discussed with regards to resources and MAO-A activity. Cluster C personality disorders are discussed briefly and with regards to defensive strategies although it is interesting to note that there has been considerable debate about their relation to the anxiety disroders. Thus it does not seem unreasonable to suppose that there should be an overlap between the corresponding evolutionary explanations. Finally there is a consideration give to a number of different areas including forensic psychiatry, psychotherapy and then an epilogue in which Brune suggests a new way of formulating the diagnosis and management based partly on the 4 W questions discussed earlier in the book.
This is an interesting and at times speculative account of evolutionary psychiatry. Although there is much speculation, at this stage with this being such a young discipline, such speculative foundations are a necessary first-step in the establishment of a theoretical framework. Brune has accomplished a considerable amount within the pages of this book and has managed to integrate a number of complex subject areas. This is an important area within psychiatry which may offer valuable insights into the nature of mental illnesses.
References
Martin Brune. Textbook of Evolutionary Psychiatry. The Origins of Psychopathology. Oxford University Press. 2008.
Podcast
You can listen to this post on Odiogo by clicking on this link (there may be a small delay between publishing of the blog article and the availability of the podcast).
Responses
If you have any comments, you can leave them below or alternatively e-mail justinmarley17@yahoo.co.uk
Disclaimer
The comments made here represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the profession or any body/organisation. The comments made here are not meant as a source of medical advice and those seeking medical advice are advised to consult with their own doctor. The author is not responsible for the contents of any external sites that are linked to in this blog.
[…] Book Review: Textbook of Evolutionary Psychiatry. The Origins of Psychopathology « The Amazing Worl… theamazingworldofpsychiatry.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/book-review-textbook-of-evolutionary-psychiatry-the-origins-of-psychopathology – view page – cached #The Amazing World of Psychiatry: A Psychiatry Blog RSS Feed The Amazing World of Psychiatry: A Psychiatry Blog » Book Review: Textbook of Evolutionary Psychiatry. The Origins of Psychopathology Comments Feed The Amazing World of Psychiatry: A Psychiatry Blog The Amazing World of Psychiatry Review: Social Buffering Relief from Stress and Anxiety — From the page […]
LikeLike
[…] and subsequent reinterpretation of natural world phenomenon. In evolutionary psychiatry (see review here) there has been an emphasis on laying the foundations with reference to common mental illnesses […]
LikeLike
found your site today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later ..
LikeLike
Very informative text. I’ve found your site via Yahoo and I’m really happy about the information you provide in your articles. Btw your sites layout is really messed up on the Chrome browser. Would be great if you could fix that. Anyhow keep up the great work!
LikeLike
While searching the Net I found your web site. Congratulations on your fabulous article. I find these facts useful. Thanks a lot for helping to bring awareness to this issue. Kylee
LikeLike
Wow! Fine contribution. This is very up-to-date web blog. I think I will share it on Facebook. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!Because at the moment, numerous of us are suffering from back pain, I want to contribute the knowledge about what has helped me. Jesse Canonne, the founder of The Healthy Back Institute, has just released his new book “The 7 Days Back Pain Cure” and for now, you possibly can grab it FREE of charge here: live-without-back-pain.com/LoseBackPain. But be quick, that free offer may possibly be taken of the market soon! Henry P.S.: Have you heard of http://www.changingthepresent.org yet? Changing The Present – Help make the world a better place. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for your generous comments! Justin
LikeLike
Wow! Congratulations on your useful post. What a beneficial info. Thank you ! I will thank the person who told me to visit your blog. Cynthia
LikeLike
thanks for the entertaining piece of writing. I had been delighted when i read ones write-up and also have made a subscription with it. Please update this information when you’re able to since I would like more information.
LikeLike
[…] the basis for an emerging model of psychiatric illness known as evolutionary psychiatry (see review here) which has an overlap with evolutionary psychology (see review here). There is a mission statement […]
LikeLike
A Quite nice post . Whenever i check your blog i read a unique view. Furthermore , as a new developer, i should mention that the structure of your site is nice . Could you post some information regarding the theme ? .
Thanks .
LikeLike
To begin with ,you have created a really beautiful template . I think i might design something similar for a future blog that i plan to build . On top of that ,i trully enjoy most of your posts and your different point of view.Good Job
LikeLike
Glad to see that this site works well on my Droid , everything I want to do is functional. Thanks for keeping it up to date with the latest.
LikeLike
I couldn’t resist commenting. 🙂
LikeLike
have been following your blog for three days. really enjoy your posts. by the way i am conducting a research regarding this issue. do you happen to know any other websites or perhaps online forums where I can get more info? thanks a ton.
LikeLike
I take pleasure in the opinions on this web site, it really gives it that community feel!
LikeLike
[…] be a practical clinical benefit once the research has been conducted. Evolutionary psychiatry is developing significantly as is the understanding of human evolution and it will be interesting to follow developments on […]
LikeLike
Fantastic piece of writing really should say, you put a lot of time and energy involved with it I can tell! Your entire website is nice as well. How long did this take anyone to assemble this web site up to exactly where it’s actually these days?
LikeLike
I’ve seen progression in every post. Your newer posts are simply wonderful compared to your posts in the past. Keep up the good work!
LikeLike
Excellently written article, if only all bloggers offered the same content as you, the internet would be a much better place. Please keep it up! Cheers.
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing! I’m really appreciating your effort !
Keep it up.
LikeLike
What a great read!
LikeLike
God is good
LikeLike
Really awesome article! Thank you so much!
LikeLike
Just wanted to say your blog is incredibly good. I often like to hear a thing new about this due to the fact I have the similar blog in my Nation on this subject so this help´s me a lot. I did a search over a subject matter and observed a great range of blogs but nothing like this.Thanks for sharing so a lot in your blog.
LikeLike
JUST keep going…this is usefull information! regards.
LikeLike
Good article. I am going to take a bit of time to think over the info!
LikeLike
good website
LikeLike
I found a useful post that really helps with our teaching!
LikeLike
[…] Textbook of Evolutionary Psychiatry. The Origins of Psychopathology […]
LikeLike
The time I found this was like wow. Thanks for putting your time and sharing in publishing this post
LikeLike
Hello there, I found your site via Google while searching for a related topic, your website came up, it looks good. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
LikeLike
This is a good website!, i just recently found it and now is on my Favorites.
LikeLike
I like when you talk about this type of stuff in your blog. Perhaps could you continue this?
LikeLike
What’s captcha code?, pls provide me captcha code codes or plugin, thanks in advance.
LikeLike
I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new information.
LikeLike
My brother suggested I would possibly like this blog. He was totally right. This post actually made my day. You cann’t believe simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
LikeLike
I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly. I’m quite certain I will learn a lot of new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!
LikeLike
Hrmm that was weird, my comment got eaten. Anyway I wanted to say that it’s nice to know that someone else also mentioned this as I had trouble finding the same info elsewhere. This was the first place that told me the answer. Thanks.
LikeLike
I know this is actually boring and you’re simply skipping to the next comment, but I simply wanted to throw you a big thanks!
LikeLike
I would like to voice my love for your generosity for individuals who have the need for help on your subject. Your special dedication to getting the solution all over became exceedingly interesting and have all the time helped associates much like me to attain their targets. Your personal warm and helpful guideline denotes a great deal to me and somewhat more to my mates. Best wishes; from everyone of us.
LikeLike
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your great post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!
LikeLike
Hey there, I usually don’t comment but figured I would do it now. Plain and simple I like your website.
LikeLike
thanks for your sharing!
LikeLike
Thank you for the sound critique. Me and my neighbour were just setting up to do some research about this. I am very happy to see such great information being shared freely out there.
LikeLike
Im having a tiny problem. I cant get my reader to pick-up your rss feed, Im using google reader by the way.
LikeLike
Hiya, I’m really glad I’ve found this information. Nowadays bloggers publish only about gossip and web stuff and this is actually annoying. A good site with interesting content, this is what I need. Thanks for making this web-site, and I will be visiting again. Do you do newsletters? I Cant find it.
LikeLike
I was wondering if you ever considered changing the layout of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two images. Maybe you could space it out better?
LikeLike
“One has to live in the present. Whatever is past is gone beyond recall; whatever is future remains beyond one’s reach, until it becomes present. Remembering the past and giving thought to the future are important, but only to the extent that they help one deal with the present.” – S.N. Goenka
LikeLike
Wow! This can be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We have ever arrive across on this subject. Actually Fantastic. I am also an expert in this topic so I can understand your hard work.
LikeLike
This is the right blog for anyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would want…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
LikeLike
amazing stuff thanx
LikeLike
Great read. Thanks for the info!
LikeLike
I have been browsing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be much more useful than ever…
LikeLike
Je trouve que ce site est extra clair et très sympa
LikeLike
Please continue to write regarding this topic. Presently there is often a greater need than you may anticipate for this type of info and assistance. What you share is useful to the person who is looking to get the suggestions that you have come up with.
LikeLike
You have some real insight. A hard-hitting post.
LikeLike
One bell serves a parish. – Italian Proverb
LikeLike
It’s exhausting to search out knowledgeable people on this matter, but you sound like you already know what you’re talking about! Thanks
LikeLike
Very nice post, I surely love this site, keep it up.
LikeLike
Now i’m awaiting your following article.
LikeLike
There is some excellent info here. If everybody was aware of this, the world would be a much happier place! I can clearly see that you have put a lot of effort into this blog. Please keep up the good work; the world deserves it!
LikeLike
Pretty interesting blogroll you have – good job with the blogging
LikeLike
I’m extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one nowadays..
LikeLike
I am so glad I found this blog. Thank you for the data. You make a whole lot of great points in your post. Rated 5 stars!
LikeLike
Thanks a ton for posting this,You know I will be joining to your feed.
LikeLike
Outstanding piece, thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
hi!,I love your writing very much! share we communicate extra approximately your article on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
LikeLike
thank you for this post, I work inside the sector of health in France and I found facts right here that I could re-use. sorry for that top quality of my english language, i am french
LikeLike
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your magnificent post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!
LikeLike
Michael Friedman~ The scientific name for an animal that doesnt either run from or fight its enemies is lunch.
LikeLike
As soon as I found this web site I went on reddit to share some of the love with them.
LikeLike
Johann von Goethe~ Plunge boldly into the thick of life
LikeLike
You have a special writing talent I’ve seen a few times in my life. I agree with this content and you truly know how to put your thoughts into words.
LikeLike
I’m impressed, I have to say. Actually rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you may have hit the nail on the head. Your concept is outstanding; the issue is something that not sufficient persons are speaking intelligently about. I’m very completely happy that I stumbled throughout this in my seek for one thing regarding this.
LikeLike
Its pretty cool what blogging can do. Connect you with everyone else.
LikeLike
Anyone also workout today?
LikeLike
[…] Textbook of Evolutionary Psychiatry -The Origins of Psychopathology […]
LikeLike